﻿192 
  Geological 
  Survey 
  of 
  Louisiana 
  [Sect. 
  

  

  beds 
  should 
  be 
  separated 
  from 
  the 
  adjacent 
  older 
  Tertiary- 
  

   beds. 
  We 
  have 
  a 
  fresh 
  water 
  deposit 
  resembling 
  more 
  nearly 
  

   the 
  recent 
  Red 
  river 
  deposit 
  than 
  anything 
  else 
  in 
  the 
  region, 
  

   but 
  evidently 
  formed 
  under 
  different 
  conditions 
  and 
  occupying 
  a 
  

   level 
  from 
  20 
  to 
  50 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  present 
  bottoms. 
  So 
  far 
  as 
  

   the 
  stratigraphy 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  is 
  known 
  these 
  beds 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  

   most 
  nearly 
  represented 
  by 
  the 
  Port 
  Hudson 
  deposits. 
  

  

  This 
  conclusion 
  is 
  greatly 
  strengthened 
  by 
  the 
  observations 
  of 
  

   Hopkins 
  in 
  lower 
  Red 
  river 
  valley. 
  He 
  says: 
  "On 
  Dunbar's 
  

   creek 
  the 
  equivalents 
  of 
  this 
  clay 
  (the 
  Port 
  Hudson) 
  form 
  the 
  

   terraces 
  upon 
  Red 
  river, 
  if 
  the 
  calcareous 
  nodules 
  are 
  a 
  sure 
  guide. 
  

   These 
  beds 
  partake 
  of 
  the 
  ferruginous 
  aspect 
  of 
  this 
  whole 
  

   region, 
  and 
  are 
  so 
  intense 
  red 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  until 
  they 
  were 
  

   traced 
  laterally 
  into 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  deposits 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  recog- 
  

   nized 
  as 
  belonging 
  to 
  this 
  group. 
  Examples 
  are 
  seen 
  on 
  the 
  

   road 
  from 
  Avoyelles 
  to 
  Pineville, 
  at 
  the 
  falls 
  above 
  Alexandria, 
  

   on 
  the 
  west 
  bank 
  of 
  Cane 
  river 
  in 
  Natchitoches 
  parish, 
  and 
  at 
  

   Grapp's 
  bluff, 
  above 
  Campte.* 
  

  

  Origin 
  of 
  the 
  mounds. 
  — 
  The 
  rnounds, 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  noticed 
  

   as 
  covering 
  the 
  Upland 
  Flats 
  are 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  confined 
  to 
  them. 
  

   They 
  cover 
  large 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  Tertiary 
  and 
  Quaternary 
  

   deposits 
  of 
  Arkansas, 
  Louisiana 
  and 
  Texas. 
  In 
  Louisiana 
  they 
  

   are 
  very 
  markedly 
  developed 
  in 
  the 
  region 
  under 
  discussion, 
  

   around 
  Lake 
  Charles 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  Moorhouse 
  hills. 
  They 
  are 
  not 
  

   confined 
  to 
  any 
  deposit 
  or 
  to 
  any 
  hypsometric 
  level. 
  Entirely 
  

   absent 
  in 
  one 
  locality 
  they 
  are 
  quite 
  abundant 
  in 
  another. 
  

  

  The 
  popular 
  interest 
  in 
  the 
  origin 
  of 
  these 
  mounds 
  is 
  very 
  

   great 
  and 
  theories 
  of 
  their 
  origin 
  are 
  common. 
  An 
  old 
  darkey 
  

   offered 
  the 
  following 
  explanation: 
  when 
  the 
  "Great 
  Massa 
  " 
  

   made 
  this 
  earth 
  he 
  made 
  it 
  with 
  a 
  sieve 
  and 
  when 
  he 
  finished 
  the 
  

   sifting 
  there 
  were 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  lumps 
  left 
  in 
  the 
  sieve. 
  These 
  

   were 
  thrown 
  out 
  forming 
  the 
  mounds. 
  Another 
  explanation, 
  of 
  

   a 
  similar 
  kind, 
  is 
  reported 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  given 
  by 
  th-e 
  Caddo 
  

   Indians. 
  Their 
  legend 
  ran 
  that 
  many, 
  many 
  years 
  ago 
  the 
  

   country 
  was 
  inhabited 
  by 
  a 
  race 
  of 
  giants. 
  For 
  some 
  reason, 
  

   which 
  the 
  legend 
  did 
  not 
  state, 
  Ihe 
  giants 
  were 
  carrying 
  dirt 
  in 
  

  

  * 
  Third 
  Annual 
  Report 
  Louisiana 
  Geol. 
  Surv. 
  An. 
  Rept. 
  Supt. 
  La. 
  State 
  

   University 
  for 
  1871, 
  1872, 
  p. 
  187. 
  

  

  